A planning application for a new tattoo studio in Harrogate has been approved.

Applicant Marco Giusti submitted a change of use plan to North Yorkshire Council last month. It was approved on Tuesday, April 16.

It proposed to convert the unit currently occupied by the Chihuahua Lounge café, on Knaresborough Road, into a tattoo studio.

Mr Giusti, who moved to York from Italy six years ago, told the Stray Ferret the company, which will be called Dark Lab Tattoos, will offer predominantly “black and grey realism and ornamental tattoos”.

He added:

“As a studio, we will be able to offer people the right artist for the type of work they are looking for.

“This includes for traditional, realism, lettering, geometric, blackwork and fine line tattoos. Any style is welcome.”

The business will be based in the Chihuahua Lounge unit.

Mr Giusti said Dark Lab Tattoos will also offer piercing services, as well as custom prints and clothing.

He said he decided to open in Harrogate because it a “beautiful town with a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere”.

The refurbishment of the unit will cost around £25,000, he added.

Mr Giusti said all tattoos will have a £50 minimum charge, but prices will range from £80 per hour up to £400-£500 for a full day of tattooing (around six hours). He added:

“Occasionally we will be hosting walk-in days, where some designs may cost less than the minimum charge.”

Dark Lab Tattoos is expected to open at the beginning of June.

It will be open Monday to Saturday, from 10am to 6pm.

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Have you been planning a tattoo design during lockdown?

Tattoo parlours across the district are now open, following similar safety guidelines to nail bars and beauty salons.

One Knaresborough artist has told The Stray Ferret that it’s great to open but that it’s been “frustrating” having to stay shut longer than hairdressers – especially since they have long been required to have measures in place to prevent cross-contamination.

However, they were not allowed to open on July 4 because of the amount of physical contact often for a long period of time.

James Mellors, Owner of Wild Style Tattoo Knaresborough

James Mellors, who co-owns Wild Style Tattoo in Knaresborough, had his first customer through the door yesterday, after four months of being closed. He said:

“My first customer is in all day today, it’s a lot of geometric patterns, so it’s quite mind-boggling after four months off, but I’ll manage.

“We were ready to open on July 4… so it has been very frustrating, tattoo artists felt like we were at the bottom of the pile really.

“We wear masks and gloves anyways so we understand how to operate in a Covid-secure way… but we’re open now which I’m very pleased about.”

Wild Style is only taking advance bookings and having one person in the studio at a time, so “you can’t walk off the street unannounced”.

Richard Suddaby, Owner of Fired Up Tattoo, Harrogate

Richard Suddaby, co-owner of Fired Up Tattoo Studio in Harrogate, has also welcomed his first customer back to the studio. He said:

“I have just done a design this morning for someone whose father passed away during lockdown so I have done a memorial tattoo for them.”

He added:

“The diary is filling up, but some people are cancelling as they still worried about the virus. I have only been here since the end of last year, so I felt I was just getting going then had to close, but we will get there.”